Black gram provides about 25 g protein per 100 g dry and around 7–8 g per 100 g cooked.
Black gram, also called urad dal or Vigna mungo, sits at the center of many South Asian dishes. If you track macros, follow a gym plan, or simply want steadier plant protein, knowing the exact black gram protein content per 100g makes planning far easier. The same 100 g on a kitchen scale can give sharply different protein numbers once soaking and cooking change the weight.
Nutrition sources such as USDA FoodData Central and Indian food composition tables place raw black gram around 25 g protein per 100 g dry weight, with plain boiled beans around 7–8 g per 100 g cooked because of absorbed water.1 This guide keeps those two baselines in view and turns them into daily portion ideas.
Black Gram Protein Values Per 100G By Form
The phrase protein in black gram per 100 g only makes sense when the form is clear. Raw, cooked, sprouted, and mixed dishes all give different results per 100 g on the plate. The table below combines typical values from research summaries and nutrition databases. Exact numbers move a little with variety, age of the crop, and recipe, so treat them as rounded reference figures.
| Form (Per 100 G) | Protein (G) | Practical Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Raw Whole Black Gram (Dry) | ≈25 g | Dense plant protein source measured straight from the bag. |
| Raw Split Black Gram (Dry) | ≈24 g | Similar to whole seeds; tiny processing loss only. |
| Boiled Black Gram, Plain | ≈7.5 g | Standard cooked beans used in simple dal or salads. |
| Cooked Split Black Gram Dal | ≈7–8 g | Soft, seasoned dal eaten with rice or roti. |
| Sprouted Black Gram | ≈2 g | Light and watery; lower protein per 100 g. |
| Fermented Idli Or Dosa Batter | ≈4–5 g | Rice plus black gram; rice lowers protein density. |
| Roasted Black Gram Flour | ≈22–24 g | Dry and concentrated; easy to add to doughs. |
| Canned Black Gram Curry | ≈5–6 g | Extra sauce and oil dilute protein per 100 g. |
Two patterns stand out. Dry forms always show higher protein per 100 g because there is less water. Wet or mixed dishes look lighter by weight, even when the bowl feels generous. When you compare brands or recipes, check whether the label lists values for dry dal, cooked dal, or a ready meal.
Protein Per 100G In Context For Black Gram
Raw black gram with roughly 25 g protein per 100 g dry sits near the top tier of common pulses. Nutrition reviews and databases note that dry chickpeas hover around 20 g per 100 g, dry lentils around 24 g, and dry kidney beans around 24 g as well.2 Soybeans move even higher, near 30 g protein per 100 g, though they bring a different fat pattern and cooking style.
Cooked black gram looks modest at around 7–8 g protein per 100 g, yet real servings matter more than bare numbers. A medium bowl of thick dal or whole cooked beans usually weighs 150–200 g, so a single serving often delivers 11–15 g protein. Add rice or flatbread and you have a complete meal with both amino acids and steady starch.
Detailed black gram nutrition pages on nutrition and you list dry seeds near 25 g protein per 100 g and around 341 kcal per 100 g, with strong fiber, iron, and folate content as well.3 That mix explains why urad dal appears often in Indian protein charts.
Why Cooked Versus Raw Changes Protein Per 100G
Many people feel confused when one chart lists black gram at 25 g protein per 100 g and another lists 7.5 g, even though both claim to be correct. The gap comes from water. Dry black gram contains little water, so 100 g dry holds a concentrated mix of protein, starch, and minerals. During soaking and boiling, the seeds absorb water, swell, and soften.
The gram of protein inside each seed hardly changes during cooking. What changes is the weight of each spoonful. Once the beans soak up water, each cooked spoonful weighs more, so the same protein spreads across more grams of food. A lab test reports that cooked 100 g sample as roughly 7–8 g protein, even though the original dry seed still contributed around 25 g per 100 g.
From Kitchen Scale To Plate
In home cooking, a simple rule of thumb helps. One part dry whole black gram by weight often yields around two and a half to three parts cooked beans. If 100 g dry gives about 25 g protein and turns into 275 g cooked beans, every 100 g cooked portion works out around 9 g protein for that batch. That aligns well with the 7–8 g per 100 g cooked figures from nutrition tables once you allow for normal kitchen variation.
Recipe writers sometimes give both dry weights and cooked yields for this reason. Dry numbers tell you how much protein sits in your pantry jar. Cooked numbers tell you how much protein sits in the bowl you actually eat.
Protein Quality Of Black Gram
Black gram does not only bring volume of protein; the quality looks strong as well. Research summaries on Vigna mungo describe a wide spread of indispensable amino acids with one clear weak spot, the sulfur amino acid methionine.3,4 Histidine, isoleucine, lysine, and valine all appear at high coverage levels relative to daily needs.
Cereals such as rice and wheat tend to sit low in lysine and higher in methionine, while black gram and similar pulses sit the opposite way. When you pair rice, wheat, or millet with urad dal, the amino acid patterns fit together neatly and the meal as a whole lands close to a complete protein profile.
Cereals such as rice and wheat tend to sit low in lysine and higher in methionine, while black gram sits the opposite way. Pairing cereals with urad dal brings the meal close to a complete protein profile and also adds fiber, iron, folate, and other micronutrients that show up strongly in nutrition tables.2,3
Daily Protein Needs And Where Black Gram Fits
Knowing the black gram protein content per 100g only helps once you connect it to daily needs. Public health references often suggest that adults without medical concerns can aim near 0.8 g protein per kilogram of body weight per day. A 60 kg adult then needs around 48 g protein, while a 75 kg adult needs around 60 g protein, spread across meals and snacks.
| Person | Daily Protein Target | Cooked Black Gram Share |
|---|---|---|
| 55 Kg Adult | ≈44 g per day | 150 g cooked dal (≈11 g protein) |
| 65 Kg Adult | ≈52 g per day | 180 g cooked dal (≈13 g protein) |
| 75 Kg Adult | ≈60 g per day | 200 g cooked dal (≈15 g protein) |
| Active 60 Kg Adult | ≈60–72 g per day | 200–250 g cooked dal across meals |
| Vegetarian Teen | Varies with age and sport | One bowl black gram plus dairy or eggs |
Numbers in this table stay simple on purpose. Real protein needs shift with age, health, and training load, so these examples act as gentle guides rather than strict rules.
Cooking Choices That Shape Protein Per 100G
Protein itself stays stable under normal cooking heat, yet the final protein per 100 g in black gram dishes still moves as you change recipes. A few habits keep you close to the values in nutrition tables and help you make good use of that protein.
Soaking And Cooking Basics
Rinse black gram well, then soak for at least four to six hours, or overnight for whole seeds. This step cuts cooking time and helps texture stay even. A pressure cooker or instant pot works well with about three parts water to one part dry whole black gram by volume, then you adjust based on how thick you like your dal. Salt near the end of cooking helps keep skins tender without turning them tough.
Balancing Flavor And Protein Density
Every time you add ghee, oil, cream, or coconut to black gram, the protein per 100 g of the finished dish drops because fat increases the total weight without adding protein. The same thing happens when cream or large amounts of tomato and onion gravy fill the pan. The meal may taste richer, yet the label, if you made one, would show fewer grams per 100 g of food.
One simple trick is to use tempering that adds aroma without heavy extra calories. Mustard seeds, cumin, garlic, dried chillies, curry leaves, ginger, and a spoon of ghee or oil can turn a plain pot of black gram into a dish that still lines up well with the lab style cooked protein per 100 g for black gram.
Practical Ways To Add More Black Gram Protein
Once you understand the numbers, daily meal tweaks become easy. The goal is not only to chase grams on a chart but to build meals that feel familiar while quietly raising total protein for the day.
Swap Or Stretch With Urad Dal
When a recipe calls for another pulse, you can often swap part of it for black gram. Mix urad dal with lentils in a mixed dal, blend cooked black gram into vegetable soups, or fold roasted black gram flour into roti dough. These small changes lift the total protein count without changing the plate too much.
Use Fermented And Snack Forms
Classic idli and dosa batter blends rice and urad dal in different ratios. A higher share of urad dal raises the protein per 100 g of batter and gives a slightly denser texture. Sprouted black gram chaat with onions, lemon, and herbs brings a lighter option for days when you want a snack rather than a full meal.
Takeaway On Black Gram Protein Content Per 100G
Black gram stands as a steady plant based protein source that fits easily into daily cooking. Dry seeds reach around 25 g protein per 100 g, cooked beans sit near 7–8 g per 100 g, and sensible portion sizes turn those numbers into real help for daily needs. Once you read labels through this lens, the phrase black gram protein content per 100g turns into a clear planning tool for your plate.